Companies Fined Following Worker’s Fatal Fall From Height

Millennium Rubber International and United Crane Services have been fined a total of £100,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries and later died in hospital following a fall from height.

Martin Denton, 60, from Rotherham, was left with serious head injuries when a metal container he was being lifted in slipped from a forklift truck, sending him falling four metres onto the concrete floor of a Macclesfield factory.

An investigation into the accident at work in 2006 by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that it was standard practice for Millennium Rubber to use containers on forklift trucks to lift workers, despite them not being designed for that purpose.

Millennium Rubber and United Crane Services, which was hired to repair an overhead crane and allowed Mr Denton to be lifted in the container, were fined £90,000 and £10,000 respectively over the incident.

Stephen Nye, a Partner and workplace injury expert at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Falls from height are among the most common causes of serious injury at work but, despite this being common knowledge, there are still a worrying number of incidents when workers are hurt in such a manner.

“This case is reminiscent of many we have acted in, as it highlights very serious failings in work practices from which significant lessons can be learned.

“Employers need to wake up to the dangers of working at height and ensure workers are fully aware of their responsibilities. Ultimately, it is imperative that the same mistakes seen here are not seen again.”

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